When The System Spoils You For No Reason-Chapter 54 - Fifty Four

"Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?"

— Clarence, It’s a Wonderful Life

---

{Have you given up?}

’No, I’m simply taking a break. I took three months to make that much progress, and you invalidated it.’

{Wow, you’re shameless.}

"Hehe."

---

"Hmm, the boys are here, with a... no, no."

"Master, some persons are arriving. Based on the information provided, they appear to be your friends, your complicated relationship, and another... complicated relationship."

Maxim delivered this from the doorway with impeccable calm, hands folded neatly behind his back. His voice was a low, cultured baritone that suited the mansion’s quiet perfectly.

"Complicated Relationships? Zero!"

"They’ve come in."

"Huh?"

---

"Who’s this?" Kai asked the moment he stepped into the foyer, eyes sweeping over the butler’s crisp uniform and the marble floors with open admiration.

"My butler, Maxim. Meet my brothers, my brother’s sister, and..." Zeke paused, tilting his head toward Michael with a vague wave. "My benefactor?"

The group—Kai, Jude, Aaron, Yeon, and Michael—clustered loosely on the polished floor, still taking in their surroundings.

"Master Zero was right," Maxim murmured, almost to himself. "It is indeed a complicated relationship."

"Hello. Nice to meet you all. Please make yourselves comfortable."

He offered a shallow, precise bow and glided soundlessly from the sitting room entrance, leaving them in the tastefully decorated lounge.

Zeke slouched against the archway, hands in the pockets of his worn joggers. "What are you doing here?"

"I need anime, and I heard a lot of things," Yeon said.

"I came to have my own personal reveal," Yeon already making a beeline for the kitchen.

Zeke watched her go, then turned his attention to Michael, who stood slightly apart with that unnervingly perfect posture of his.

"My father commanded me to stay with your group," Michael said, his voice slipping into the cheerful, slightly silly cadence he kept ready for public use. A bright, practiced smile lit up his face. "Possibly, I would grow stronger and make friends beyond my... degenerate friends." He scratched the back of his head with an awkward, boyish grin. "Though, if you asked me, my friends are not that degenerated."

"Yeon, you wanted a reveal, right?" Zeke asked, though his eyes didn’t leave Michael.

"Uh-hum," came the reply from down the hall. She returned a moment later with a large tub of premium ice cream, spoon already in her mouth.

’I wouldn’t do that if I were you,’ Michael’s voice slid into Zeke’s mind, conversational and perfectly calm. ’How many seconds do you think it would take to burn this house down with them inside?’

Zeke’s expression flattened.

"Never mind," he said aloud, finally looking at Yeon. "You’re all welcome to my house. Go to my fridge and steal my ice cream."

"Really?" Kai vaulted off the plush sofa and sprinted toward the kitchen.

"Haha, here I come!" Aaron and Jude followed on his heels, laughter trailing behind them down the hall.

The lounge went quiet. Zeke looked at Michael, who hadn’t moved.

"You’re not going?"

"This persona has access to ice cream of a different nature." Michael settled onto the couch and crossed his legs with easy comfort. "It would be stupid to follow the hype. We’re not supposed to be that close."

Zeke studied him for a moment. "You know, soon enough, threats against them won’t work against me."

"I doubt it. Even on their deathbeds at old age, you’ll try to find ways to increase their lifespans."

"Is seeing the future part of your skillset now?"

Michael didn’t answer. His cool amethyst eyes drifted past Zeke to where the trio and Yeon were laughing and jostling by the kitchen counter, watching them with the unhurried attention of someone cataloguing something.

"Mystery won’t work on me," Zeke said. "If you could see the future, you wouldn’t have that much interest in me."

Michael said nothing. The faint, knowing smile stayed exactly where it was.

Zeke let it go. "So, are you going to be around me a lot? Did your father really put you up to this?" He paused. "Actually—you can’t possibly be your father, right? Some monster who cycles between an old man and a young kid when the old man role gets tiring."

"You’re quite perceptive."

"..."

"I’m joking."

"Maybe." Michael’s tone was utterly flat as he said it. He turned back to watching the kitchen.

---

"Hey, Zeke," Aaron called later, during a lull in their gaming session, the screen casting soft light across the rug and the scattered controllers. "When did you get a butler? I thought you didn’t like people in your space."

"Zero hired him behind my back."

’Zero,’ Michael’s voice touched the edge of Zeke’s thoughts, sharp and analytical. ’So that’s how you gained 200 million. A super-advanced AI. But your butler doesn’t appear in any official record—home or abroad.’

Zeke ignored him.

Maxim was a gift from SAGE—an SSS-ranked golem fashioned as a butler, with max stats of 5000 across every category. Other than Michael, who carried 5000 in Magic Power, it was the highest stat Zeke had ever encountered. On paper, Maxim was the most powerful being in the room, and yet Zeke still wasn’t confident he could beat Michael in a fight.

Still—Maxim was a golem made to serve. And he was perpetually immortal, so long as his core remained intact.

The moment Zeke had received the gift, he’d claimed that core and slotted it into his inventory without a second’s hesitation.

The question that lingered was simpler and more uncomfortable: what if Michael destroyed it?

---

The boys had pulled Michael into the sitting room under the thin pretense of explaining the game’s rules—which he had mastered within the first few minutes. He sat close enough to be present, far enough to remain observer, his attention distributed with quiet, unhurried precision.

Yeon occupied the larger cushion, sprawled like a cat with her tablet propped against her knees, the soft audio of her anime threading under the game’s sound effects.

Maxim appeared in the doorway without a sound. "Master, the meal is prepared."

"Wow." Yeon looked up, a delighted gleam in her eye. "The ’I’ word, and still unable to care for himself." She laughed—bright and sharp—and rose to stretch before heading toward the kitchen.

"I cooked for you the other day!" Zeke pointed at her retreating back. "I have Knowledge of All Mundane Things. I’m the most skilled human in the world!"

"Give up before you embarrass yourself more." Michael tapped his shoulder lightly, already smiling as he unfolded from the couch and followed the scent of food.

’I have to test the cooking of an SSS-ranked golem,’ he added, the thought landing in Zeke’s mind like an afterthought.

At the dining table, Michael lifted a forkful to his lips and took a slow, deliberate bite.

A beat passed.

’Nice work.’

Whether he meant the food or the golem—or both—Zeke couldn’t quite tell. He allowed himself a small, private smile.

’Of course.’